Petition of Two Sisters, Objection – Reason 1
A preoccupation of an obiection.
WHereas this preſent treatiſe tendeth to the ſtaying and decaying of Incloſure; it is to be obſerued and noted (moſt dread Soueraigne) that héere firſt I ſpeake againſt late Incloſure, not condemning the Incloſure of Eſſex, Hartfordſhire, Deuonſhire, and ſuch like Woodland Countries; wherein the beginning, if the Woods had not béen incloſed, they could not hauehave béene preſerued; and ſo as it may ſéeme, the Incloſures there of neceſſitie hauehave euer ſince beene continued: for there, euerie Lordſhip is charitably diuided amōgſt the Tenants, and tillage alſo in moſt of their Cloſes is maintained, & Townes nothing d…ſpeopled: although thoſe Woodland and incloſed countries bee not ſo populous as other countries are. But I condemne our couetous & new deuiſed …cloſurs, which cōuert champian and fruitfull ſoiles, being good arrable ground, to paſture; caſting halfe a cornefield to a ſheepes paſture. And ſo thereby diminiſh Gods people, and depopulate Exo. 14. 13.townes.
Secondly, I ioine depopulation of towns, and this new kind of Incloſure together: becauſe the one of them doth follow the other commonly, euen as neceſſarilie as the ſhadow doth the body: for although in ſome places where this Incloſure is put in practiſe (as our Incloſers can cunningly affirme) that all the houſes remaine that hauehave been: yet there be not ſo many people in them as hath beene: becauſe that tillage, by meanes of their Incloſure is decaied, which required many moe ſeruants to accompliſh it, then their paſtures will doe to looke to them.
And thirdly, whereas Incloſers diſtinguiſh, and ſay, that it is not Incloſure, but the couetous minds of men, that pulleth downe townes. To this I anſwere, that Incloſure is the meanes to pull them downe; and depopulations follow Incloſure, as an accident inſeparable (as the Logicians call it.) For marke it who liſt, where this Incloſure hath ſet in foot, they ſhall ſée houſes fallen downe, and lie in the duſt: and ſhall I not héere rather beléeue mine eyes than their faire ſpéeches?
The firſt reaſon againſt this Incloſure is, it decaies tillage.
THe Heathen euer made great account of Tillage. Cicero writeth thus of Huſbandrie: That of all things Cicero lib. 1 offi….whereby any gaine is gotten, there is nothing more excellent than Tillage, nothing more commodious, nothing more pleaſant, and nothing more fit for a Gentleman. O that our Gentlemen were of his mind.
The noble men of Rome take the names of corne, as (Fabij) of Beanes, and Plin. lib. 18. cap. 3.(Cicerones) of a kinde of Peaſe, and (Piſones) of Baking. They which were married, had a garland of corne carried before them. Amongſt the Romanes alſo, him whom they called (Bonum Colonum) A good plowman, they ſeemed to praiſe exceedingly. Nay, he that did not till his land well, the Cenſors puniſhed him. Such Cenſors were to bée wiſhed amongſt vsus, to make vsus till our land. It was alſo by law enacted amongſt them, that hee that came to take an amercement, or penaltie, ſhould not take an oxe before a ſheepe. Nay, that a man ſtealing by night, corne that was ſowen, ſhould be put to death with greater ſeueritie, then an homicide. They cal Glory Adoriam of Ador, which ſignifies corne. Plinie alſo writes thus of Ibidem.the fruitfulneſſe of the earth: What was the cauſe that the earth was ſo fruitfull then? becauſe (ſaith he) that then the earth was tilled with the hands of Emperors. And it is not amiſſe to thinke, that the earth did reioice then, of her coulter, and ſhare, being crowned, and of her Plowman being a triumphant Emperor. They were then as carefull of plowing their lands, as of waging their warres, And they did as diligently order their fields, as their camps. The like cauſe may bée aſſigned of the barrenneſſe of the earth in our daies. God plagues our contempt of tillage, with penurie and ſcarcitie. Gentlemen now a daies, thinke ſcorne of the Plough.
Tillage was the firſt worke, that was impoſed vponupon man, after that he was baniſhed out of Paradiſe. And God Gen. 3. 23.ſent man out of the garden of Eden (Langabath) to ſerue, to waite vponupon, to till the earth. And ſhall the beſt of vsus all then thinke ſcorne of tillage? Alſo this was that gracious promiſe made vntounto Noah after the flood, That heereafter, Gen. 6. 22.ſeede time and harueſt, cold and heat, ſommer and winter, day and night ſhall not ceaſe, ſo long as the earth remaineth. But if all men ſhould follow Incloſers ſteps, why then in all townes we ſhould hauehave no tillage (or very little) but all ſhéepe. Is not this to contradict the ordinance of God? But tillage is troubleſome vntounto them, and the other is a more gaineful and eaſie way, as they doe imagine, and therefore they paſſe not for that. Let all ſuch great ſheepe-maiſters, that are decaiers of tillage take héede, which will hauehave no ſeede furrowes, nor harueſts, nor greatly paſſe not for them: they contradict hoerein Gods ordinance, as this place prooues. And after we read of Noah (as of an obedient ſubiect to God héerein) thus. And Noah began to be (Iſh Haadhmah) Gen. 9. 20.that is, a man wholy giuing himſelfe, to labour in the earth, and he planted a vineyard. To plant a vineyard, is correſpondent in ſome countries, to our ſowing of corne, and an acre of Mines yeeldes better increaſe, then an acre of our Corne, as I hauehave heard. Iſaak alſo as heire of Noah, did follow his ſteps, and though a ſtraunger in Aegypt, yet we read of him thus. And Iſaak did ſowe corne in that countrie, and he found in that yeere an hundred Gen. 26. 12.meaſures, and God bleſſed him. Shall Iſaak ſowe, being a ſtranger in Aegypt, and not wée at home? Did hée finde an hundred meaſures for one? For ſo Munſter ſaith, that the Chalde Munſter in eundem locum.Paraphraſt doth erpound this. And ſhall we ſay, that we can finde no commoditie by tillage? And it followes, God bleſſed him, a bleſſing of God followes tillage. They ſhall not thriue that decay it, as erperience teacheth. God appeated Iud. 6▪ 11.to Gedeon as he was threſhing, and appointed him Iudge ouer Iſrael: And doth not this commend threſhing? Elizeus alſo whom God did chuſe to bee a Prophet in Eliah his roome, was a great maintainer of tillage: for thus we reade. And Eliah departed thence, and found Eliſhah the ſonne of Shaphat: 1. King. 19. 19.who was plowing with twelue yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelue. And was not Elizeus a great huſbandman who had twelue yoke of oxen, and no doubt many plowes going together in his field, and many plowmen, among whom after hée deuided thoſe two oxen, which he killed? And doe not all theſe, ſo beloued of God, and giuing themſelues ſo greatly to tillage, commend it vntounto vsus? ſhall we prefer paſture, and neglect this?
Maſter Camden writes, that in England were the ſtately Palaces of Lady Ceres, Camden Britan. p. 3.meaning great Barnes of corne. Now we may ſee in ſome places, ſome ſuch great Barnes ſtill, and Incloſers makes them ſtande emptie. I know, whereas 1500. quarters of corne hath béene yéerely growing: ſince incloſure hath beene practiſed, there groweth not now 500. And againe he writes, that England for corne was the onelyonly ſtorehouſe of all the west Empire: And that out of England yeerely the Romanes tranſported 400. ſhippes, bigger then barkes, laden with corne to relieue their ſouldiers, that lay on the borders in Germany. In thoſe daies England was able to relieue other countries with corne: but ſometime now ſhe is glad to buie corne of other countries her ſelfe. Incloſers hauehave partlie brought this to paſſe, who had rather hauehave their wooll-houſes filled with wooll, then their Barnes with corne. O diſhonorable children to their mother!
The Preacher alſo in his booke writes verie excellently in the commendation of tillage. If in a countrie Eccleſ. 5. 7.(ſaith hée) thou ſeeſt the oppreſsion of the poore, and the defrawding of iudgment and iuſtice, be not afraide at the matter, for hee that is higher then the higheſt, regardeth, and there be higher then they. And the aboundance of the earth is ouer all, the King alſo conſiſts of the field that is tilled. Salomon giueth an Item to all that deale hardly with the poore: how that the God of heauen beholdeth: Nay (Shomer as it is in the Hebrew, that is) marketh and keepeth in memorie all their dealings. And that the tillage of the earth ſurpaſſeth all, and that euen the King thereby is maintained: by the foode that it miniſtreth, to ſtrengthen his people; and by the multitude of valiant ſouldiers it affordeth for his warres. For as Plinie writes, Moſt ſtrong and valiant ſouldiers Plin. lib. 18. cap. 5.are made of husbandmen, and come foorth of the countrie, and which thinke no harme. And ſhall wée deale hardly with thoſe, that muſt fight and aduenture their liues for vsus? And ſhall wée not maintaine tillage, the honorable mother of chiualrie? Lechem in Hebrew ſignifies bread, and Lacham to fight: They therfore which deſtroy bread, deſtroy chiualry. Nay, how can any chriſtian truly ſay the Lords prayer, and pray, GiueGive Math. 6. 11.vsus this day our daily bread▪ that decaieth tillage? Will he pray for bread, and not vſe the ordinary meanes to hauehave bread, which is tillage? This is plainely to tempt God. Will he hauehave God feede vsus miraculouſly, with Manna, as hee did Mat. 4. 7.Iſrael in the wildernes? In Canaan God Exod. 16. 15will hauehave plowing and ſowing vſed: And therefore after the children of Iſrael came into the lande of Canaan, Ioſ. 5. 12.Manna ceaſed.
That hiſtorie alſo of the plague in King Dauids daies, muſt teach vsus ſome 2. Sam. 14. 18.thing: and therein, that is eſpecially to be marked, to build an Altar, in the threſhing floore of Araunah. It ſhould ſeeme that God loues threſhing flooers, and there hée will be praiſed. But Incloſure decaieth tillage, and therefore God is not praiſed in our threſhing fl…oers.
This may be a cauſe of the plague Pſal. 106. verſ. 30. Phinehas ſtoode vp and executed iudgement and the plague was ſtaied.amongſt vsus euen now. Let vsus erect Altars in the threshing flooers of Araunah, and the plague shall ceaſe: Incloſers doe thinke that there are too manie men in this lande, and that they may decaie townes by their Incloſure, and that it is no great matter to …e…aie a towne But God ſ…th their thoughts, and now he beginneth to diminiſh the people of this land: hee may diminiſh them, as well as they; and he beginneth at the very head firſt.
Couetousneſſe which is the roote of Luk. 12. 20.all euill, which our Sauiour deſcribes in the Goſpel, and S. Paul to Timothie; 1. Tim. 1. 9.and pride, which God hates and reſiſts, which Eſay alſo paints out vntounto vsus in his third chapter at large; & the taking Ia. 4. 6. Eſa. …. 16. 17. &c. Exod. 20. 7. Pſal. 55. 10. 2. Sam. 12. 14. 1. Tim. 6. 1. Tit. …Gods name in vaine, for filthy lu…re. For which God wil not hold vsus guiltles, &c. And becauſe deceite and guile goe not out of our ſtreetes; And for that by our wicked liues Gods word is euill ſpoken of: Theſe no doubt may ſéeme to bée the cauſes of the plague amongſt vsus, God giuegive all men eies, to ſee their
ſinnes and to amend them that the plague may ceaſe; and eſpecially Citizens and ſuch as inhabit in townes corporate, amongſt whom theſe ſinnes commonly raigne.